My wife wasn’t really a gamer, but her brothers are (much more so than me). She occasionally enjoyed playing videogames with them growing up. When we first got married, she didn’t really want them at all, but she loves me and she realized that video games are how I relax so she stopped minding me playing them as long as I didn’t let them push out the important things like her and our children. I’ve invited her to play with me several times over the years and I’ve always tried to keep an eye out for games she might like that we can play together. I wouldn’t say that I’ve coaxed her into anything, though.

I was thoroughly surprised when in the last couple of years, she started asking to play games with me. I think she saw how we’d spend time together, but then I’d never have time to play video games. We played Secret of Mana together and she loved the chance to play cooperatively with me. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find other games to play.

Competitive games usually don’t work, most “casual” games are single player or not fun for long, cooperative games like Left 4 Dead would never fly since neither of us are really into zombie slaying or FPS games, and we both have too many other responsibilities to get sucked into MMOs. If anyone has any suggestions for 2+ player, cooperative games that have the same kind of start-stop capabilities as traditional console games, (and also lack profanity, gore, or explicit sexual references) I’d love to know about them.

A lot of people have written us to say they can’t wait to play Stonehearth with spouse or child. In @xophnog’s vein, what other games would you all suggest to play co-operatively with your family, or to get someone you know into your favorite pastime?

In 2001, my dad got me into 2-player co-op Dynasty Warriors 3 for the PS2, and I proceeded to spread the love to everyone else in my college draw group, including my now-husband. We pulled it out again just last weekend to relive the memories (and lament over how badly our skills have atropied; DW5 and Orochi Warriors were almost as good, but never as brutally hard.) Hei Fei Castle lives! How about you all?

I think the game that got me to play with my brother the most is Final Fantasy Christal Chronicles on Gamecube. We bought the cables for the GBA just to be able to play together. This was one of the only and most fun games we played together. Those were really fun times, and i sometimes miss the game a little.

Maybe it’s odd to answer my own question, but I will list the games I HAVE found to play with family.

Console:<br >Secret of Mana<br >Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine<br >Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Another game whose art design I rave about.)<br >New Super Mario Bros.Wii (Though I have heard this game called “relationship poison” because of how easy it is to accidentally kill each other.)

Computer:<br >StarCraft (Played with my brother, not my wife.)<br >Puzzle Pirates (We usually just ended up playing the swordfighting and boxing puzzles together)<br >Minecraft<br >

I have found my girlfriend will play any cute or voxel based game. (voxel based tends to lean toward cute). She is also willing to explore any game with really good aesthetics or art (she is an artist). I just try to find things that relate to her hobbies in games and she will normally try them.

My mom will play anything that pits Good vs Evil. Obvious good vs evil, like angels vs demons or what have you.

Cute or voxel based: Sims pets (animals) as well as animal crossing, lots of DS games fill her time, those lean towards cute. She also plays minecraft, wants to play sotneheart (who doesn’t). Hm, there are lots. She does pixel art sometimes so I can see how voxel based games would appeal.

Good vs Evil: Her favirote game is Kingdom hearts and if you interrupt her she will yell about how she is busy fighting the forces of evil. I can’t dredge up the names of all her PS2 games, but thats what she plays on.

Uhh… Little Big Planet (1 and 2) are about as good as it gets in harmless co-op platform gaming. It’s practically a free form Game (yes with a capital G) and while there are levels to clear, how you play is entirely up to you.

This is a fun topic, and I kind of envy all of you who manage to play video games with your family

My parents have never been interested in video games in any way. It has been card games or some board games (monopoly and smiliar) with them. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those games as well (RISK 2210 is a fav!). Me and my slightly older brother got a NES as first gaming device, then on to Amiga 500 and so on. And to be honest, I don’t think we wanted our parents to play video games with us.

My fiancee lost her interest in video games after the NES era, but she understands my interest and doesn’t complain too much now after I quit my WoW raiding a few years ago. Very understandable that she wasn’t happy with it though… I am however unable to interest her in any form of games nowadays.

Today, with two small kids, house and work, it is kind of hard to keep up any regular form of gaming (digital or analogue), and definitely not together. But watching my 4 year old son playing Super Mario (NES) on my Xperia PLAY, how he tries to play Minecraft PE, when he wants me to play Don’t Starve or Minecraft on PC… I think (hope) I have my gaming buddy right there

Next year I will perhaps play SH with him, wonder if I can lure my other half into it as well